Flying Diamond Cutter Man
Michael Leone is an e-wrestler better known by his ring name, Flying Diamond Cutter Man, currently wrestling for Power On Wrestling. He returned to E-wrestling after a hiatus of several years, before which he initially rose to prominence in the now-defunct Global Wrestling Federation. He was the last UWL World Heavyweight Champion AND the last GWF Champion, hence his current gimmick as the "REAL World Champion." Entrance Into Wrestling Began training at age 17 under Shark Williams, a Maryland-based trainer. However, he had little success in Williams' old-school, power-and-brawling based style. In 1990, he moved to Japan and became one of the few gaijin performers in Gran Hamada's Universal Lucha Libre promotion. There, he competed under a mask as Gaijin FLASH, essentially a parody of Hulk Hogan-esque "super patriot" characters. Leone would deliver loud, boisterous promos in broken Japanese, wave the American flag proudly, eat apple pie, and generally portray a stereotypical loud, cocky American. Though technically a heel, he was almost purely a jobber/joke character for most of his five years in the promotion, and would routinely receive cheers and laughter from the crowd for his antics. In 1995, Hamada joined Michinoku Pro (which, ironically enough, had splintered off of the declining ULL), effectively killing ULL. Rather than joining the new promotion, Leone chose to return home to America and attempt to ply his trade on the American indy scene. A Disciple Much of the reason for Leone's return home actually lay with the entrance of his younger cousin Zack (AKA Jonny Myzery) beginning his own wrestling career. Leone helped train Zack and acted as a mentor to him, and the two spent much of the next six years traveling together, either working as tag team partners or wrestling against one another. Their main tag team gimmick at this time was a stereotypical mobster duo, with Leone acting as the fast-talking brains of the outfit, "Mikey Two Guns," and Zack acting as the silent, stoic enforcer, "Jimmy Needles." The two also made several tours of Japan during this time, with Leone reprising the Gaijin FLASH character, and Zack also donning a mask as the sinister Bloody Lion. Running Diamond Cutter Man and the Birth of an Era During one of the duo's many American indy tours, they happened to pass through an area in which the cult phenomenon "Running Diamond Cutter Man" existed. Played by Jay T Nitro, RDCM was essentially a running gag character that would do a run-in, hit someone with a Diamond Cutter, and run away again. Leone created the "Flying Diamond Cutter Man" character purely as a joke or parody of the RDCM character (who was, ironically enough, a joke and parody himself), and the two faced off in a "one night only" showdown. As it turned out, they had so much chemistry together that the rivalry stuck...and so did the character, ironically enough, long after the supposed "feud" and his nemesis had gone out of use. Global Wrestling Federation Shortly thereafter, Nitro founded the Chicago-based GWF promotion, which at first consisted mainly of his own close friends and workers he had met in his years as a wrestler. Leone was a part of the original GWF roster, as FDCM. Zack would soon join the promotion as well, now under his well-known Jonny Myzery gimmick. The two enjoyed tremendous success in the GWF's approximately two-year lifespan, winning various titles and enjoying the spotlight as two of the league's top performers. FDCM found himself in the spotlight early, again feuding opposite Jay T. Nitro with both men swapping the face/heel role regularly. FDCM soon emerged as the top heel in the company, winning its heavyweight title and leading the renegade "CWFO" organization to try and take over the fledgling promotion. The angle was blown out in a 10-man tag team match at COLLISION, one of the highest-rated Pay-Per-Views in GWF history. After the story arc's conclusion, FDCM took some time off to rehab nagging injuries and freshen up his character. He would later reveal that he spent much of this time debating whether he wanted to continue to portray what had been intended to be a temporary joke gimmick. After several teases in which it was hinted Leone would return under a mask as the mysterious Jade Psycho, he finally made his return in Fall 2002 as the original, happy-go-lucky babyface FDCM, still playing opposite the now ruthless heel champ JTN. After a long and drawn out "working his way back up the ladder" angle, FDCM finally succeeded in winning the heavyweight title once again, becoming the only multitime GWF Champion in history. Several storied feuds and matches followed, including a main event opposite his cousin Jonny Myzery that is mainly remembered for the rain of chairs thrown into the ring by overzealous fans. Ultimately, FDCM would find himself retiring with the title in tow, as the GWF decided to close its doors. Hiatus From Wrestling Declining to participate in the RCWA, an ill-fated attempt at keeping the GWF crew together in a new promotion, Leone decided to take some time off from wrestling. Over a decade of nearly uninterrupted traveling and performing had taken its toll on his body, and he considered retirement. During this time, he worked a variety of jobs including a stint doing a sports talk radio show. Universal Wrestling League In early 2006, FDCM shocked the wrestling world by returning to the ring in the UWL. Primarily working angles with the brother of his old friend and "rival", Shawn Stevens, the two were at first partners, then rivals, then all-out enemies. After an impressive showing in the Coronation Cup tournament and a stint as UWL Heritage Champion, FDCM's career was again sidetracked by injuries. He dropped the Heritage title and worked light for a few weeks before working his big blowoff match with Stevens, at the end of which he was kayfabe "injured" and sent off to rehab. Back in the Saddle At the October 2006 "Nightmare" supercard, FDCM made a surprise return to the UWL, performing a surprise attack on the main event of the pay-per-view. On the following episode of UWL TV, FDCM explained that he had returned for one reason and one reason only - vengeance on Shawn Stevens. However, the men he attacked in order to punctuate his return wouldn't be so easily ignored, and FDCM found himself embroiled in a re-kindled feud with his old buddy JTN and his unlikely new ally, Tito Capaci. At UWL's One Year Anniversary Celebration in November, FDCM succeeded in defeating his longtime rival Jay T. Nitro. He thought this would clear his schedule to focus entirely on Stevens. However, fate had a different path in mind for him... Champion Again After the One Year Celebration, FDCM learned that he had been named the Number One Contender for the UWL World Heavyweight Championship. This encited a month-long feud between himself and Capaci, which also grew to include the New Money Army. At UWL Final Countdown in December, FDCM got his shot at Tito Capaci's World Championship. However, it was not to be. Though FDCM took Capaci further than anyone else had in the Made Man's six-month reign of terror, the match ended in a hard-fought time limit draw at the 60-minute mark. His body and spirit decimated, FDCM prepared to delve back into the depths of self-doubt from which he had only recently risen. However, he was informed that he had another chance...Jay Jefferson had named a 2-out-of-3 falls rematch between FDCM and Capaci as the main event of the first TV Taping in the UWL's new arena, just four nights later! At the TV Taping, both men, obviously still hurting from their epic battle just days earlier, returned to the ring. This time, FDCM would not be denied. After losing the first fall in a tapout to Capaci's Sicilian Sleeper, FDCM won two pinfalls in a row to become the new UWL World Heavyweight Champion. Enemies on All Sides As always happens, FDCM now found himself as the hunted rather than the hunter. With his rival Shawn Stevens primed to face him in a grudge match, Tito Capaci still looking for a chance to reclaim his title, and dozens of hungry competitors squaring off in the Coronation Cup tournament to determine the next number one contender, FDCM had no shortage of challenges...and challengers. However, an event would soon happen that would change everything. UWL's Implosion and the Exodus of FDCM In early February 2007, something awful happened. In a fit of PMS, Jay Jefferson closed down the Universal Wrestling League, destroyed all records of its history, and committed suicide by drinking nine gallons of tabasco sauce. Devastated by the death of yet another promotion while he was its champion, FDCM went into seclusion. Rather than proceeding to the new Power On Wrestling promotion that absorbed most of the departing UWL workers, FDCM boarded a ship bound for rural China, still clutching the UWL Championship belt like it was his firstborn child... Power On Wrestling Two months later, a new FDCM returned. A changed FDCM. Wearing bright, gaudy tights and tacky jewelry and flanked by a veritable army of valets from all over the world, he returned to the ring with only one mission: prove to the entire world that he, and he alone, is the true champion of the world! Under his new "Real World Champion" gimmick, FDCM was a super heel and a super egomaniac. He quickly rose to the top of POW after coming out on top of a feud with fellow loudmouth Rich Morrison. At POW's continuation of "Super Mania," the flagship supercard of the defunct Universal Wrestling Company, it was announced that FDCM would unify his coveted "Old" UWL Heavyweight Championship with Tito Capaci's UWC Championship in a winner-take-all unification bout. FDCM was again victorious over the "Made Man" and became the first ever Power On Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion. Winning the title, he also became one of few performers to work for both the "Midwest" and "New England" territories of the company. However, before long, the stress of traveling back and forth between the two territories and some administrative strife in the POW offices caused FDCM to lose his interest in the up-and-coming promotion. In Summer 2007, he informed acting POW President Jay T. Nitro that he would be opting out of his contract. In July, he worked his final match, losing his title to up-and-comer Kailus Holmes in the premature blowoff of what had been scheduled to be a long feud, and left the sport once again. UWL Redux In late November 2007, FDCM again made an unexpected return to the business. Less than a year after publicly stating he would never work for Jay Jefferson again, he was revealed as the mystery fourth member of the Old Guard, a stable of veterans working to maintain their glory. FDCM is currently working as his classic babyface gimmick in the stable, but has dropped hints in and out of character that he may go heel again at some point soon. Life outside of wrestling FDCM currently resides in Arlington, TX, a part of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metropolitan Area. In addition to his wrestling career, for the last couple of years he has also hosted "Atomik Radio," a combination sports/talk/rock music show podcast on the internet and syndicated in several areas of Texas and the Midwest. This has also been the career FDCM has fallen back on during his off-periods from wrestling. The show enters its third season in January 2008. Past Accomplishments POW World Heavyweight Title UWL World Heavyweight Title UWL Heritage Title GWF World Title(x2) GWF Cruiserweight Title(x2) GWF Commissioner Universal Lucha Libre Dirty Gaijin Dog Title (self-proclaimed/unrecognized) Move Set Finishers 1. Flying Diamond Cutter (positions the opponent on the top rope, then steps out onto the ring apron, vaults onto the top rope, bounces off it and Diamond Cutters his opponent to the canvas) 2. Diamond Cutter 3. Flying Diamond Device (double team finisher: exactly like the Road Warriors’ finisher, but FDCM comes off the top rope with a Flying Diamond Cutter instead of a clothesline. In singles matches, FDCM will occasionally attempt to use this move by forcing his Flying Diamond Cutter Girls to try and lift opponents onto their shoulders, generally resulting in failure, embarrassment, and domestic abuse) Signature Moves 1. Running Diamond Cutter 2. Spindrive Diamond Cutter (Inverted suplex pickup to Roll the Dice) 3. Somersault Diamond Cutter (The Throwback) 4. Deathwish Diamond Cutter (with both men standing on the outside ring apron, a Running Diamond Cutter down onto the arena floor, usually through a table or something similar) 5. Diving Headbutt (often briefly knocks himself out with this move) 6. The Undertaker’s guillotine legdrop on the ring apron 7. Asai Moonsault 8. Flying Diamond Flip (Eddie Guerrero’s slingshot senton from the outside) Regular Moves 1. DDT 2. Road Dogg’s Shake Rattle ‘n Roll Punch Combo 3. Running Stepup Enziguiri 4. Cobra Clutch 5. Top Rope Frankensteiner 6. Top Rope Superplex 7. Powerbomb 8. Roaring Elbow 9. STF 10. Abdominal Stretch with body blows 11. Discus Punch 12. Flying Diamond Rana (West Coast Pop) 13. Superkick 14. Dragon Sleeper 15. Fujiwara Armbar 16. Suicide Dive 17. Rolling German Suplex Pin 18. Figure Four Leglock 19. Kitchen Sink 20. “Old School Heel” style cheating (sneaky low blows, eye pokes, etc. Often done blatantly in view of the referee. Also frequently involves his army of valets in his matches, throwing them at opponents as decoys, using them to deliver foreign objects, etc. He doesn’t care if they get hurt, they tend to change every week anyway. Maybe he has a valet factory?) Major Rivals "Hollywood" Matt Matthews Adam Houston Brad Hunter Thaurer Major Allies Shawn Stevens Josh Eagles Flap Flanagan Past Aliases Mikey Deathwish Gaijin FLASH Mikey Two Guns Jade Psycho Trivia -Was originally created as a parody of GameFAQs' "Running Diamond Cutter Man" fad Theme Music History Current: "Revolution Deathsquad" by Dragonforce POW: "YYZ" by Rush UWL (final): "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith UWL (original): "Armageddon" by Alkaline Trio GWF (final): "Without Me" by Eminem GWF (as Jade Psycho): "Papercut" by Linkin Park GWF (CWFO heel era): "I Stand Alone" by Godsmack GWF (early era): "Exciter" by Bomb Factory Japan (as Gaijin FLASH): "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen